2 Bulletin 77 



detail as experiments and observations, or appear as discussions 

 and recommendations necessary to the intelligent propagation and 

 economic management of the fig. 



REASONS WHY FIG PLANTING SHOULD BE INCREASED 



Arizona has a population of approximately two persons per 

 square mile of territory! A large proportion of these live in towns 

 and villages located many miles apart. Rural population 

 outside the highly developed irrigated areas is scattered, usually 

 as isolated families on ranches. Means of communication are, 

 moreover, limited, except along the main-line railroads. With a 

 fair proportion of the people widely scattered and for the most 

 part long distant from shipping centers, the distribution of food 

 products becomes an important problem. In many cases the 

 method of transportation and distribution prohibits the handling of 

 perishable products. This usually means a limited diet, for the 

 greater portion of the year at least. In the absence of an adequate 

 supply of fresh fruit during the season in which this kind of fruit 

 should be used, the writer is convinced of the value of a study that 

 may lead to a wider dissemination of the fig plant and to an in- 

 creased use of its fruit both in a fresh and preserved condition. 



CHARACTER OF FIG-PRODUCING SECTIONS 



The greater portion of southeastern Arizona is comparatively 

 low in elevation, with nearly parallel mountains extending north- 

 west to southeast, ranging in height from 1,000 to 3,000 feet and 

 separating comparatively level valleys lying between them. The 

 soil of these valleys has been built up of alluvial deposits from the 

 eroded mountains and is very fertile. The lower parts of this terri- 

 tory are the areas along the Colorado and Gila Rivers. In the 

 broad valleys, low-lying mesas and their prolongations into the 

 higher elevations of the southeastern and south central portions of 

 the State, irrigation has made it possible to build a veritable 

 paradise. The character of the soils and the application of water 

 provide conditions suitable for the successful growth of many 

 temperate and subtropical horticultural plants. 



The eastern and more northern portions of the State form 

 plateaus ranging in elevation from 4,000 to 6,000 feet, and in the 

 northern part some of the mountains are much higher. 



The varied topography induces perhaps the greatest diversity 

 in climate of any State. Over the lower elevations intense heat 



